Medieval Europe

Teacher Guide. Core Knowledge Foundation, 2016. — 224 p.
The Middle Ages occurred between ancient and modern times, or from the fall of Rome in 476 CE to the years just before the early Renaissance, around 1350. During this period Christianity was the dominant religion in western Europe, and feudalism, a system in which land was offered in exchange for loyalty and military support, was the dominant political arrangement. The Middle Ages was an era of lords, knights, and castles but also of nuns and monks, peasants and serfs. Religious figures, such as Saint Benedict, Hildegard of Bingen, and Thomas Becket, played important roles — as did kings and queens such as Charlemagne, William the Conqueror, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the late Middle Ages, as feudalism weakened and kings grew stronger, some of the modern monarchies of Europe began to emerge, as did a growing.
sense of loyalty to monarchs. France and England fought each other in the Hundred Years’ War. The French heroine, Joan of Arc, helped France win the war, but England emerged from this lengthy conflict with a stronger sense of nationhood. English kings, such as King Henry II and King John, attempted to consolidate royal power but were forced to make concessions to the nobles by establishing Parliament and signing Magna Carta, a document that guaranteed people certain rights. The growth of cities and the rise of strong governments, along with the ravages of the Black Death, helped usher in a new age.Medieval Europe Sample Pacing Guide.
Changing Times.
The Not-So-Dark Ages.
Two Churches.
Prayer and Work.
Charlemagne.
A Feudal Society.
To the Manor Born.
Life in a Castle.
Days of a Knight.
A Serf and His Turf.
Women in the Middle Ages.
William the Conqueror.
Henry II.
Thomas Becket.
Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Magna Carta.
A New Kind of Government.
The Hundred Years’ War.
Joan of Arc.
The Black Death.
Teacher Resources.